583T 


c  t  •  >"*  'i 
i?.llGr.   Inn 


A      CHARGE 

by  the 

Bishop  of  California 
1876. 


Characteristics    of    the     Age  : 


A    Chai\ge 


To  THE  Clergy  of  the  Diocese  of  California, 

AT  THE 

Opening   of   the   Twentv-Sixth    Annual   Convention 
IN  Trinity  Church,  San   Francisco, 
May  3D,   1876. 


BY 

The  Right  Rev.  WM.  INGRAM  AM  KIP,  D.D.,  LL.D, 

BISHOP    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


SAN  FRANCISCO: 

OxJBERY  &  Company,  Steam  Book  and  Genpral  Job  Printers, 

No.  Hi  Market  Street,  bolo\T  Sansome. 

1876. 


Charge. 


I 


as 

CO 


My  Brethren  of  the  Clergy: 

The  spirit  and  direction  of  the  age  are  ever  altering, 
and  our  reHsion  takes  the  hue  and  color  of  the  intellec- 
tual  spirit  of  the  times.  As,  therefore,  years  flow  on  and 
the  world  changes,  the  impress  of  that  change  is  stamped 
even  upon  the  religious  character  of  those  who  bear  the 
Christian  name.  Thus  every  passing  century  brings  with 
it  some  new  form  of  error  to  be  combated  —  some  new 
^assailant  of  our  faith,  whose  attack  must  be  met;  and 
^  none  can  live  well  the  Christian  life  without  thoughtfully 
^looking  out  on  the  world  around  and  reading  the  "signs 
iof  the  times,"  to  see  what  influences  are  acting  on  the 
^  spirit  of  our  faith. 

"  And  especially  is  this  the  duty  of  those  who  are  called 
to  be  leaders  in  "  the  sacramental  host  of  God's  elect." 
They  are  to  guide  the  struggling  multitudes  who  are  wan- 
dering in  the  wilderness — to  point  out  the  way  over  the 
Desert  —  and  to  warn  against  dangers  which  would  cut 
them  off  from  the  Promised  Land.  And  as  the  struggle 
goes  on  and  darkness  seems  to  gather  about,  from  those 
who  crowd  the  thoroughfares  of  life  comes  often  the  inqui- 
ry :  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?  " 

It  is  one  which,  as  ministers  of  Christ,  we  should  be 
prepared  to  answer.  We  should  be  able,  from  the  devel- 
opment of  the  times  in  which  we  live,  to  gather  the  wis- 
dom by  which  we  may  direct  others  in  their  warfare.    The 

293307 


4 

subject,  then,   which  I  would  bring  before  you  is  —  the 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THIS  PRESENT  AGE. 

We  might,  in  considering  this  subject,  look  at  the  cen- 
turies which  have  gone,  and  see  how  this  principle  was 
prominent  since  man  first  came  forth  from  Eden,  ever 
changing  its  direction,  yet  ever  exerting  its  influence. 
For  instance,  in  the  ante  -  diluvian  times,  when  life  was 
counted  by  centuries,  worldliness  was  the  prevailing  diffi- 
culty. Men  gave  themselves  up  to  pleasure  and  sensual- 
ity. Then  came  the  days  of  the  patriarchs,  when  idol- 
atry was  the  besetting  sin.  Surrounded  by  heathen  na- 
tions, they  were  tempted  to  yield  to  the  old  Chaldean 
superstition  and  worship  "  the  moon,  walking  in  bright- 
ness," and  the  stars,  night  after  night  holding  on  their  way 
amid  the  unclouded  glory  of  that  Eastern  sky.  A  few 
centuries  later,  and,  under  the  Jewish  dispensation,  the  dif- 
ficulty v^2JS>  formality,  as,  resting  in  a  mere  round  of  out- 
ward services,  the  Israelite  forgot  that  these  were  but 
types  and  shadows,  intended  to  prepare  him  for  brighter 
and  loftier  revelations.  With  the  dawning  of  the  Gospel 
came  a  new  order  of  things,  as  the  old  landmarks  were 
swept  away.  In  "the  great  trial  of  affliction"  which  befell 
the  infant  Church  the  members  of  the  new  faith  were 
tempted  to  lose  sight  of  earth,  forgetting  that  here  also  they 
had  appropriate  duties  to  perform.  With  the  triumph 
of  Christianity  the  danger  arose  from  a  different  quarter. 
The  Church  attempted  to  adopt  the  varied  ceremonies  of 
the  idolatry  it  had  vanquished,  and  through  the  Middle 
Ages  superstition  paralyzed  its  strength.  But,  since  the 
Reformation  the  evil  has  been  exactly  the  opposite.  A 
questioning  intellecttial  religion,  which  chills  devotion,  has 
replaced  that  abounding  faith  which  "believeth  all  things." 

But  time  forbids  that  I  should  enter  more  fully  into 
this  historical  review.  I  allude  to  it  only  to  show  that  the 
human  mind  is  prone  to  extremes,  and  external  circum- 
stances of  course  determine  the  direction  it  shall   take. 


I 


But  you  perceive  how  this  truth  comes  to  us  through  the 
mists  of  time.  The  Christian,  indeed,  cannot  sever  him- 
self from  the  past ;  for  thence,  in  solemn  strains  from  its 
far-distant  ages,  float  down  to  him  the  noblest  lessons  he 
can  learn.  In  the  things  which  have  been  he  reads  his 
prophecies  of  the  things  which  shall  be. 

"  And  as  King  Saul 
Called  up  the  buried  prophet  from  his  grave 
To  speak  his  doom,  so  may  the  Christian  now 
Call  up  the  dead  past  from  its  awful  grave 
To  tell  him  of  our  future." 

Let  us  look,  then,  at  some  of  the  characteristics  of  our 
own  age,  particularly  as  they  most  concern  those  whose 
appointed  duty  it  is  to  act  upon  the  minds  and  souls  of 
men. 

The  first  I  would  mention  is  the  teiidency  to  mistake 
mere  civilization  of  mind  for  religio7t.  Our  faith  has 
silently  produced  an  entire  revolution  in  the  state  of  feel. 
ing  which  pervades  society.  In  the  ages  in  which  it  first 
appeared  even  the  ordinary  amusements  and  the  inter- 
course of  daily  life  were  characterized  by  what,  in  this  day, 
we  should  call  a  revolting  barbarism.  The  Christians 
became,  therefore,  at  once  a  marked  and  separate  people. 
They  alone  would  not  frequent  the  amphitheatre,  to  join 
in  its  ferocious  sports,  and  they  alone  could  derive  no 
pleasure  from  the  gladiator's  show,  where  man  died  in 
agony  by  the  hand  of  his  fellow-man  — 

"  Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday." 

As  Christianity  advanced,  this  refining  and  humanizing 
influence  extended  until  it  pervaded  the  masses  of  men, 
sweeping  away  this  barbarous  spirit,  and  now  whole  com- 
munities enjoy  the  benefits  it  has  spread  around,  without 
even  thinking  of  the  source  from  which  they  proceed. 
The  exterior  surface  and  polish  which  society  at  this  pres- 
ent day  exhibits  is  much  in  accordance  with  what  the  Gos- 
pel would  produce ;   but  the  difference  is,  that   instead  of 


being  the  result  of  the  direct  personal  influence  of  religion, 
it  proceeds  only  from  education. 

The  reason  now  is  cultivated,  the  taste  formed,  and 
refinement  and  grace  are  spread  over  the  face  of  society. 
In  our  ordinary  intercourse  a  delicacy  has  been  introduced 
which  contributes  to  social  order  and  domestic  comfort, 
and  prevents  any  exhibition  of  violence  or  passion.  Our 
relative  duties,  therefore,  are  carefully  performed,  and  open 
vice  is  stigmatized  as  unseemly  and  out  of  taste.  Profli- 
gacy is  discountenanced,  and  all  actions  violently  at  war 
with  our  sense  of  propriety  are  esteemed  a  disgrace.  This 
is  the  external  view  which  society  presents  at  the  present 
time. 

Now,  how  many  thousands  can  you  see  about  you, 
living  under  this  state  of  things,  who,  in  consequence, 
consider  themselves  Christians !  They  believe  that  their 
general  tastes  and  habits  are  those  which  are  prescribed 
by  our  faith,  and  with  this  they  are  satisfied.  They  are 
kind,  perhaps,  and  charitable,  from  natural  disposition,  or 
because,  the  world  pronounces  these  traits  to  be  reputable. 
And  if,  in  addition  to  this,  they  engraft  religion  formally 
on  their  system,  it  also  partakes  of  the  worldliness  in  which 
they  live.  They  only  adopt  from  it  whatever  commends 
itself  to  them  as  being  refined  in  sentiment  and  in  accord- 
ance with  their  own  views.  They  desire  to  have  their 
feelings  alternately  aroused  and  soothed  by  the  scenes 
which  it  arrays  before  them.  They  therefore  call  them- 
selves by  that  holy  name  which  first  the  disciples  assumed 
at  Antioch,  and  as  far  as  our  faith  agrees  with  the  tone 
of  the  society  in  which  they  live,  they  yield  to  it  an  outward 
obedience. 

Yet  what  is  all  this  but  a  mere  counterfeit  of  the  truth, 
dressed  out  to  imitate  it  by  the  enemy  of  man,  that  he  may 
deceive  many?  He  comes  as  an  angel  of  light,'presenting 
a  system  built  on  worldly  principles,  yet  pretending  to  be 
the  Gospel.     The  peculiarities  of  former  generations  have 


passed  away,  a  new  order  of  things  has  taken  their  place, 
and  this  is  claimed  to  be  an  exhibition  of  Christian  char- 
acter. And  is  not  this  the  only  faith  to  which  many  in 
the  world  about  us  can  lay  claim  —  a  faith  which  has  no 
true  fear  of  God — no  fervent  zeal  for  His  honor — no  jeal- 
ous adherence  to  doctrinal  truth — no  self-denial  for  Christ's 
sake  ?  And  would  the  whole  tenor  of  their  lives  be  any 
different  if  the  Gospel  should  now  be  proved  to  be  a  fable  ? 
What  is  this,  then,  but  mere  civilization  of  mind — an  effect 
which  the  high  polish  of  society  might  produce  on  any 
individual  who  had  never  heard  of  the  Gospel  ?  It  is  a 
beautiful  development  of  character,  but  one  which  might 
take  place  under  heathen  influences.  There  is  nothing 
about  it  distinctly  Christian. 

"  They  cherish  every  grace 
Except  the  cross  —  except  the  strenuous  race." 

Again  :  another  characteristic  of  the  age  is  an  i)idiffey- 
ence  to  the  value  of  religious  truth — a  false  liberality,  which 
induces  men  to  tolerate  error,  when  it  should  be  shunned 
and  denounced  —  a  charity  which  degenerates  into  weak- 
ness. 

This  is  a  fault  peculiar  to  our  age,  and  which  has  had 
its  growth  in  the  last  two  centuries.  It  was  not  so  in  the 
early  Church,  for  then  the  rule  was  :  "  Prove  all  things  ; 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  It  was  not  so  in  the  ages 
which  succeeded,  for  then  the  Church,  fallen  as  it  may 
have  been  from  the  purity  of  the  faith,  was  still  zealous  to 
defend  the  truth,  or  what  it  believed  to  be  the  truth. 
Neither  was  it  so  in  the  times  which  immediately  followed 
the  Reformation.  Then  the  great  contests  and  disputes 
which  had  taken  place  impressed  on  the  world  the  fact 
that  the  truth  was  something  to  be  sought  after ;  and, 
when  found,  they  were  willing  to  cleave  to  it  with  full 
purpose  of  heart,  even  at  the  cost  of  life  itself. 

But,  since  then,  days  of  peace  and  quiet  have  come 
upon  us.     We  forget  how  much  those  who  have  gone  be- 


8 

fore  us  suffered  because  they  would  not  subscribe  to  error, 
and  we  learn  to  prize  but  little  those  principles  of  eternal 
and  immutable  truth  to  which  they  were  faithful,  even 
unto  death.  We  look  with  a  mild  and  lenient  eye  upon 
those  who  have  perverted  it,  until  we  ourselves  begin  to 
undervalue  its  possession  ;  and  thus  our  Lord  may  well 
complain  of  us  as  being  deficient  in  the  jealous  custody  of 
that  word  which  He  revealed.  He  may  say  of  us,  as  of 
the  Jews  in  Jeremiah's  day :  "  They  are  not  valiant  for 
the  truth  upon  the  earth."  * 

Now,  brethren,  the  truth  is  but  one.  It  cannot  have 
two  forms  or  two  appearances  ;  and,  of  all  truths,  the  most 
precious  are  those  which  relate  to  our  religion.  Does  it 
become  us,  then,  on  such  solemn  and  momentous  subjects, 
to  join  in  with  the  false  liberality  or  the  misnamed  char- 
ity of  the  day,  and  assert  that  an  individual's  sentiments 
on  these  topics  are  matters  of  secondary  importance,  or 
that  "  no  man  is  responsible  for  his  belief?  " 

We  often  do  this,  not  from  worldliness  or  cowardice, 
but  from  personal  attachment  to  the  individuals,  from  a 
desire  not  to  disturb  the  feelings  of  others,  or  because  we 
look  upon  their  errors  only  as  speculative  opinions,  of 
whose  dangerous  tendency  we  are  ignorant.  Thus  we 
hear  one  scoffing  at  the  punishment  of  the  lost,  and  pro- 
claiming that  all  shall  alike  be  admitted  into  Heaven,  and 
we  feel  no  horror  at  his  rejection  of  the  plain  truths  of  rev- 
elation. We  listen  to  another  while  he  denies  the  Divin- 
ity of  our  Lord,  and  thus  strikes  a  death-blow  to  the  whole 
Christian  scheme,  and  we  shrink  not  back  from  a  heresy 
the  mere  announcement  of  which  would  have  aroused  the 
indignation  of  those  apostles,  to  whom  their  Master's  mem- 
ory and  love  were  precious. 

But  such  lenity  is  very  far  from  being  that  which 
Scripture  inculcates  on  this  subject.     St.  Paul,  after  enu- 

*  Jer.  ix.  3. 


merating  the  long  catalogue  of  heretics  who  should  arise 
in  "the  last  days,"  adds,  "  From  such  turn  away."*  And 
St.  John  is  still  more  explicit.  After  speaking  of  those 
who  "  abide  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,"  he  says,  "  If  there 
come  any  unto  you  and  bring  not  this  doctrine  "  —  what 
were  they  to  do  ?  Give  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  .? 
Close  their  eyes  to  his  heresy  for  charity's  sake  ?  No. 
The  apostle  says  :  "  Receive  him  not  into  your  house, 
neither  bid  him  God-speed ;  for  he  that  biddeth  him  God- 
speed is  a  partaker  in  his  evil  deeds."  t 

And  I  would  speak  particularly  of  this  apostle,  because 
those  who  are  remiss  in  the  faith  ever  represent  him  as 
being  filled  with  the  love  of  all  men,  and  pretend  to  shel- 
ter themselves  beneath  his  example.  It  is  true  that  this 
was  one  part  of  his  character,  but  yet,  you  perceive,  there 
was  another  light  in  which  we  may  see  him  exhibited. 
The  warmth  of  his  charity  never  interfered  with  his  love 
for  the  souls  about  him  or  his  zeal  for  the  truth  of  God, 
He  loved  men,  but  he  "loved  them  in  the  truth,"  and  "for 
the  truth's  sake  which  dwelleth  in  them."  t  Yet  he  could 
denounce  those  who  denied  the  faith  or  turned  away  from 
the  teaching  of  that  Church  which  his  Lord  had  made 
"  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."  §  While,  therefore, 
our  associations  with  the  beloved  apostle  are  those  of  char- 
ity and  love — while  we  remember  that  his  single  exhorta- 
tion to  the  Church  at  Ephesus  was,  "  Little  children,  love 
one  another! " — let  us  not  forget  that  he  it  is  who  bids  us 
hold  no  fellowship  with  those  who  reject  the  truth.  |! 

But  is  not  this  a  very  different  spirit  from  that  which 
prevails  in  our  day  and  generation  ?  Yes  ;  we  have  with 
us  an  unmeaning  benevolence,  which  we  misname  Chris- 
tian love.     The  Church  needs  a  holy  zeal — a  sternness  for 

*  2  Tim.  iii.  5. 

t  2  John,  ver.  10. 

t  2  John,  ver.  2. 

^  1  Tim.  iii.  15. 

!|  See  Newin.Tn's  Sermon  on  "Tolerance  of  Religious  Error." 


lO 

the  right — a  determination,  at  all  hazards,  to  maintain  the 
truth.  Never,  indeed,  will  purity  of  faith  be  valued  until 
we  shrink  not  from  proclaiming,  openly  and  boldly,  our  cen- 
sure of  religious  error,  whatever  may  be  its  nature.  Never 
will  the  Church  regain  its  power  until  its  followers,  "  quit- 
ting themselves  like  men,"*  adopt  a  stricter  discipline  — 
look  less  leniently  on  the  faults  of  those  who  have  departed 
from  it — and  show  that  their  love  is  united  with  firmness, 
strictness,  and  boldness.  Then,  at  length,  will  men  begin 
to  feel  that  there  is  some  value  in  the  truth. 

Again :  We  turn  to  another  development  of  the  times. 
This  is  an  age  of  irreverence.  In  "  our  fathers'  days,  and 
in  the  old  time  before  them,"  society  was  characterized  by 
a  reverential  spirit.  There  was  then  something  to  be 
looked  up  to,  while  the  present  generation,  in  its  pride  of 
self-sufficiency,  seems  to  regard  nothing. 

For  instance  ;  old  age  was  once  held  in  reverence.  Men 
recognized  the  fact  that  the  dignity  of  age  surpasseth  all 
other  dignities.  They  felt  that  one  who  had  lived  many 
years  had  a  long  experience  on  which  to  look  back,  and 
was  also  drawing  near  to  the  solemnities  of  the  coming 
world.  The  small  space  which  separated  him  from  those 
fearful  secrets  which  the  living  desire  to  read,  yet  shrink 
from  knowing,  invested  him  with  a  dignity  which  in  earlier 
life  he  had  never  possessed.  So  it  has  been  through  all 
ages,  and  men  everywhere  united  in  acknowledging  that 
"  the  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory." 

But  how  little  of  this  spirit  do  we  now  see !  As  the 
young  rush  into  busy  life  they  will  not  listen  to  the  voice 
of  those  to  whom  "length  of  days  is  understanding."  t  In 
their  hot  and  hasty  pursuit  the  aged  are  elbowed  from 
their  path.  They  are  rather  regarded  as  cumberers  of  the 
ground,  and  their  warnings  received  with  mocking  laugh- 
ter, as  the  words  of  those  who  are  far  behind  the  spirit  of 

*  I  Cor.  xvi.  13. 
t  Job,  xii.  12. 


1 1 

the  age.  Even  the  exhibitions  of  outward  deference  which 
characterized  former  generations  are  gone,  and  in  the 
struggle  for  this  world's  prizes  none  pause  to  obey  the 
injunction  of  Scripture:  "Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the 
hoary  head  and  honor  the  face  of  the  old  man."  *  We 
have  indeed  upon  us  the  curse  which  was  denounced 
against  ancient  Judah,  that  "  The  child  shall  behave  him- 
self proudly  against  the  ancient."! 

And  so  it  is  in  matters  of  much  higher  moment.  There 
is  a  decay  in  the  spirit  of  reverence  with  which  all  sacred 
things  are  regarded.  The  leveling  political  spirit  which 
is  abroad  in  the  world  has  extended  its  influence  to  the 
Church.  Its  sacred  offices  are  looked  upon  by  men  as 
they  would  upon  any  kind  of  secular  business,  and  "  they 
which  minister  about  holy  things  "  are  treated  as  if  they 
were  merely  appointed  for  the  intellectual  gratification  of 
their  hearers,  or,  far  worse,  as  "  hirelings  who  are  to  ac- 
complish their  day."  t  There  is  a  total  forgetfulness  of 
the  authority  of  their  office  —  that  they  are  God's  ambas- 
sadors to  stand  between  Him  and  His  rebellious  subjects — 
that  they  are  (to  use  the  words  of  the  apostle)  "in  Christ's 
stead." §  The  command  of  St.  Paul  is  disregarded,  to  "  Es- 
teem them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake."  ||  The 
flock  remember  not  that  these  are  their  shepherds  appointed 
by  God,  nor  do  they  carry  out  the  description  of  our  Lord: 
"The  sheep  hear  his  voice;  *  *  he  goeth  before  them, 
and  the  sheep  follow  him;  for  they  know  his  voice."  ^ 
Thus  it  'is  that  the  interests  of  religion  suffer,  because 
they  who  profess  to  bow  to  its  precepts  in  their  worldliness 
drag  down  the  authority  and  degrade  the  dignity  of  those 
who  are  its  appointed  teachers. 

*  Lev.  xix.  32. 
t  Isaiah,  iii.  5. 
X  Job,  xiv.  6. 
^  2  Cor.  V.  20. 
\\  I  Thes.  V.  13. 
•[  Johr,  X.  3,  4. 


12 

And  —  to  go  one  step  farther  —  look  at  the  manner  in 
which  the  most  hallowed  mysteries  of  our  faith  are  treated. 
Themes  which,  ages  ago,  would  have  been  spoken  of  only 
with  awe,  are  now  flung  from  lip  to  lip  and  debated  with  a 
recklessness  which  strips  them  of  all  appearance  of  sanc- 
tity. The  sacred  subjects  of  Holy  Writ  and  its  inspired 
words  are  used  to  point  a  jest,  until  there  are  remaining 
no  solemn  associations  with  language  which  prophets  and 
apostles  used  of  old,  when  they  were  "  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

Is  not  this,  brethren,  a  sorrowful  but  true  picture  of  one 
phase  of  the  times  ?  Have  we  gained  as  much  by  the 
*' progress  of  the  world"  as  in  our  pride  we  are  accustomed 
to  believe  ?  While  we  have  freed  ourselves  from  many  of 
the  errors  of  the  Middle  Ages,  have  we  not  lost  also  many 
of  their  virtues?  It  is  doubtful,  to  say  the  least,  whether 
an  age  of  superstition  is  not  preferable  to  one  of  irrever- 
ence. 

The  next  "  sign  of  the  times  "  to  which  we  would  refer 
is  the  natural  development  of  those  we  have  already  men- 
tioned. This  is  an  age  of  increasing  infidelity.  When 
truth  ceases  to  be  valued,  and  a  reverence  for  all  holy 
things  is  passing  away,  what  can  we  expect  but  that  skep- 
ticism should  abound?  Unbelief  in  this  day  is  assuming 
a  new  form.  A  century  ago  it  was  confined  to  the  thinking 
and  the  intellectual.  In  the  quiet  of  their  studies  men  rea- 
soned on  the  great  verities  of  our  faith,  but  it  was  for  them- 
selves and  the  narrow  circle  which  was  like-minded  with 
them.  And  if  Hume,  and  Herbert,  and  Bolingbroke  sent 
forth  their  views  through  the  Press,  it  was  to  the  same 
audience  that  they  appealed.  The  mighty  masses  of  men 
were  unaffected.  They  had  inherited  the  truths  of  our 
faith,  and  with  little,  perhaps,  in  this  world  to  cast  a  sun- 
shine on  their  path,  they  clung  more  closely  to  the  prom- 
ises of  another  life,  and  looked  forward  with  earnest  long- 


13 

ins:  to  their  entrance  on  that  state  where  "  the  weary  are 
at  rest." 

But  now,  infidelity  is  no  longer  confined  to  the  study 
or  the  seat  of  science.  Education  has  elevated  the  masses, 
and,  for  good  or  evil,  prepared  them  to  hold  communion 
with  the  loftiest  minds  in  the  world  of  thought.  The  chil- 
dren on  the  benches  of  the  school,  or  the  artisan  at  his 
toil,  are  able  to  "  read,  mark,  and  inwardly  digest  "  subjects 
which  were  far  beyond  the  wisdom  of  their  forefathers. 

There  has  been  created,  too,  what  we  call  "  the  reading 
public,"  and  a  mighty  audience  has  been  formed,  of  which, 
centuries  ago,  scholars  knew  nothing.  The  Press  scatters 
everything  broadcast  over  the  earth,  and  who  can  say  that 
its  teachings,  in  most  cases,  do  anything  but  mislead  the 
intellect  and  debase  the  heart  ? 

Thus  it  is  that  the  ignorant  and  the  half-learned  are 
puffed  up  by  the  pride  of  self-knowledge,  and  in  the  shal- 
lowness of  their  wisdom  are  induced  to  abandon  the  truths 
in  which  their  fathers  trusted. 

And  how  often  is  this  the  case  now,  even  with  the 
thoughtful  and  the  cultivated !  It  is  esteemed  a  proof  of 
intellectual  freedom  to  disown  the  facts  of  revelation  and 
to  regard  the  teachings  of  Scripture  as  "cunningly-devised 
fables,"  which  the  world  has  outgrown.  And  then,  too, 
there  is  a  spirit  of  skeptical  philosophy  abroad  which 
induces  men  to  accept  anything  sooner  than  the  Gospel. 
No  theory  can  be  too  wild  to  enlist  followers  or  too  im- 
probable to  gather  converts.  And  now,  in  these  "  latter 
days,"  when  time  in  its  solemn  march  is  each  year  bring- 
ing forth  new  proofs  of  the  historical  facts  of  our  faith  — 
when  the  hieroglyphics  of  Egypt  and  the  tablets  of  Nine- 
veh are  contributing  their  arguments  to  confirm  all  that 
the  prophets  and  sacred  penmen  have  written — "a  genera- 
tion wise  in  their  own  eyes  "  can  turn  from  them,  to  yield 
their  belief  to  the  original  "  developments"  of  Darwin  or 
the  glaring  impostures  of  spiritualism. 


14 

Yet  so  it  is,  brethren,  around  us.  We  hear  it  on  every 
side.  Our  feelings  are  shocked  by  the  bold  blasphemies 
which  are  announced  before  the  world,  and  the  degraded 
morality  which  would  well  have  become  the  Cities  of  the 
Plain  on  the  day  that  the  storm  of  God's  wrath  burst  upon 
them.  We  recognize  the  results  of  this  infidelity  in  the 
recklessness  with  which  men  turn  away  from  the  temple 
of  God,  or,  should  they  enter,  in  the  chilling  apathy  with 
which  they  listen  to  truths  before  which  the  holy  and  the 
good  of  ages  past  have  bowed  in  reverence. 

We  will  consider  but  one  more  development  of  the 
age ;  but  it  is  one  which,  more  than  any  other,  meets  us 
in  this  land  in  which  our  lot  is  cast.  This  is  an  age  given 
up  to  the  worship  of  Mammon.  It  is  not  only  an  age  de- 
voted to  the  attainment  of  physical  benefits,  but  the  pur- 
suit is  carried  on  with  an  intense  excitement,  where  all 
are  swept  onward  by  a  wild  and  headlong  current.  The 
whole  society  with  which  we  are  brought  in  contact  is 
marked  by  an  activity  of  thought  which,  we  believe,  the 
world  has  never  before  witnessed.  It  rests  not  day  nor 
nioht.  Every  mind  —  often  in  spite  of  its  own  better  res- 
olutions— catches  this  restless  spirit,  and  it  is  embodied  in  a 
thousand  schemes  which  the  calm  decisions  of  reason  can- 
not indorse.  The  past  to  which  in  this  land  we  can  look 
back  is  scarcely  long  enough  to  bring  to  us  the  lessons  of 
experience.  A  nation  has  been  born  in  a  day,  and,  hardly 
pausing  to  enjoy  what  the  passing  hour  offers,  all  are 
uro-ing  forward  to  some  beckoning  promise  in  the  future. 
The  imagination  of  each  one  is  dazzled,  and  he  rushes 
forth  to  take  his  part  in  the  conflict,  where  enterprise, 
adventure,  and  ambition  are  hurrying  all  forward.  There 
is  no  repose,  no  pause  in  the  race,  but  every  languid  mus- 
cle is  braced  to  vigorous  exertion  and  every  mind  is  awak- 
ened to  its  highest  exercise. 

The  question,  then,  is,  what  direction  is  all  this  excited 
intellect  to  take?     Unfortunately  for  us,  this  multitude. 


15 

which  is  thus  awakened  to  such  earnest  effort,  is  agitated 
by  the  ceaseless  grasping  after  gain.  The  love  of  wealth, 
which  in  other  ages  has  held  an  important  place  in  the 
human  heart,  seems,  in  these  last  few  years,  to  have  increas- 
ed, until  there  is  danger  lest  it  absorb  all  other  feelings 
and  reign  sole  master  in  the  breast. 

In  other  lands  there  have  been  checks  to  this  inordi- 
nate growth  of  avarice,  which  substituted  other  objects  of 
reverence  for  that  absorbing  love  of  money  which  charac- 
terizes us  as  a  people.  There  was,  for  instance,  a  rever- 
ence for  ancient  institutions  and  long- established  forms. 
There  was  the  pride  of  ancestry,  which  called  men  to  walk 
worthy  of  their  fathers'  fame,  and  not,  by  their  failures, 
erase  the  inscriptions  of  honest  praise  which  were  graven 
on  the  monuments  of  those  who  had  gone  before  them. 
There  was,  too,  a  higher  estimate  of  intellectual  and  moral 
worth.  Men  bowed  to  the  supremacy  of  genius,  and  ac- 
knowledged that  mind  was  more  elevated  than  matter  — 
that  he  whose  radiant  spirit  seemed  lighted  up  by  the  God 
of  Heaven,  and  gifted  with  strength  to  exert  an  influence 
on  all  around  him,  possessed  a  treasure  more  to  be  envied 
than  if  he  had  been  master  of  countless  stores  of  this 
world's  gold.  Then  self-denial  and  devotion  were  living 
things  —  patriotism  and  loyalty  were  active  principles  — 
and  the  worship  of  Mammon  had  not  yet  shriveled  up  the 
souls  of  men  into  self-seeking  and  sordid  pride.  But  many 
of  these  high  and  ennobling  considerations  have,  with  us, 
faded  away,  and  we  arc  living  in  a  generation  which  seems 
to  have  no  reverence  for  anything  but  money.  "  The  greed 
of  gold  "  in  this  land  is  absorbing  every  other  feeling.  The 
Polytheism  of  the  ancient  world  indeed  is  gone,  but  it  has 
given  place  to  the  worship  of  a  god  whom  Milton  de- 
scribes as 

—  "  tlie  least  erected  spiiit  that  fell 
From  heaven  ;  for  e'en  in  heaven  his  looks  and  thoughts 
Were  always  downward  bent,  admiring  more 
The  riches  of  heav'n's  jiavenient  —  trodden  gold  — 
Than  aught  divine  or  holy  else  enjoyed 
In  vision  beatific." 


i6 

We  might  speak  of  the  injurious  effect  produced  upon 
the  tone  and  spirit  of  society  by  the  prevalence  of  these 
feelings.     The  poetry  and  romance  which  once  invested 
life  have  given  place  to  the  claims  of  mere  utility.     The 
sentiments  which  in  former  days  refined  and  ennobled  so- 
ciety are  considered  antiquated.     The  lofty  tone  of  honor, 
once   so   highly  prized,  has  deteriorated ;   the  refinement 
which  pervaded  society  has  diminished,  and  its  morality 
has  been  gradually  sinking  to  a  lower  ebb.    In  the  excite- 
ment produced  through  our  land  by  the  acquisition  of  sud- 
den fortunes,  strict  and  stern  integrity  has  been  forgotten, 
and  men  mount  up  to  wealth  by  greed  and  wrong,  which 
should  draw  upon  them  the   withering  scorn  of  all  who 
value  honesty  and  right.      But  society  is  learning  to  call 
such  things  by  soft  and  lenient  names.     Wealth  covers  a 
multitude  of  sins,  and  the  voice  is  but  feebly  heard  which 
should  rebuke   this   prevailing   idolatry  of  wealth.     The 
physical  resources  of  our  land,  thrown  open  to  every  one 
who  has  the  zeal  and  heart  to  labor,  hold  out  the  promise 
of  a  golden  prize  to  all,  and  few  are  there  who  have  strength 
to  turn  away  from  the  multitude  who  are  groveling  in  the 
dust — few  who  can  rest  in  the  conviction  that  there  is 
something  more  valuable  than  money,  and  the  search  after 
which  is  more  dignified  for  an  immortal  spirit.    We  seem, 
in  this  land,  to  have  realized  the  ancient  classic  fable  of 
Midas,  turning  everything  he  touched  to  gold  ;  but  cannot 
we  conceive  of  a  more  lofty  character  for  a  nation  than 
that  its  god  should  be  Mammon  and  its  temple  the  ex- 
change ? 

But  it  is  becoming  the  general  impression  that  the 
acquisition  of  wealth  is  the  most  important  business  of 
life,  and  that  he  is  best  fitted  for  intercourse  with  the  world 
who  possesses  most  sagacity  in  heaping  up  riches.  Even 
political  ofifice  has  lost  its  value,  and  is  cared  for  only  for 
the  emoluments  it  brings.  To  purify  the  heart  and  hu- 
manize the  affections  —  to  provide,  not  only  the  means  of 


r 


17 


elevation  in  life,  but  the  ability  to  bear  success  witli  pro- 
priety— to  confer,  not  the  power  of  subduing  others,  but  the 
means  of  conquering  one's  self — to  impress  all  those  solemn 
lessons,  which  alone  can  guide  man  in  his  warfare,  and 
which  lead  him  to  look  to  a  life  beyond  life — all  these  are 
,  passed  by  unheeded  by  the  giddy  multitude  around  us. 
Thus,  in  the  rising  generation  is  created  an  intense  and 
feverish  attention  to  worldly  objects,  while  they  are  scarcely 
taught  that  the  deepest  of  all  mysteries  into  which  we  can 
penetrate  is  the  human  heart,  and  the  highest  improve- 
ment would  be  the  eradication  of  one  sinful  passion  or  the 
extinguishing  one  guilty  propensity  in  that  dark  fountain 
of  evil.  Thus  the  mind  is  taught  to  look  only  to  the  Ma- 
terial and  the  Earthly,  and  soon  has  no  sympathy  with  the 
True  and  the  Spiritual. 

But  beyond  all  this  influence  on  this  world,  how  utterly 
destructive  is  this  spirit  to  the  religious  character !  How 
impossible  does  it  seem  to  unclasp  the  hands  which  are 
madly  clutching  at  gold,  or  to  find  room  for  Christ  and 
His  gospel  in  hearts  where  Mammon  is  already  enthroned! 
Three  thousand  years  ago  the  wise  man  declared  :  "  He 
that  maketh  haste  to  be  rich  shall  not  be  innocent;  "  and 
now  we  have  around  us,  on  all  sides,  evidences  that  the 
flight  of  centuries  has  not  changed  this  law  of  life.  We 
read  it  in  the  apathy  to  the  Gosi)el  of  these  toilers  after 
wealth,  with  regard  to  whom  the  command  might  well  be 
issued:  "They  are  joined  to  their  idols;  let  them  alone." 
We  see  it  in  the  wreck  of  Christian  character  which  so 
often  befalls  those  who  come  to  these  shores,  and  in  the 
desperation  which  fills  a  suicide's  grave,  when  the  god  they 
have  worshiped  will  not  shower  his  gifts  upon  them. 

Such,  then,  my  brethren  of  the  clergy,  is  the  conflict 
in  which  we  are  engaged.  Is  it  discouraging?  Do  we  at 
times  feel  disposed  to  throw  aside  our  weapons  and  ex- 
claim that  this  is  a  weary  strife,  in  which  all  our  efforts 
are  useless.?     Such  feelings  are  unavoidable;  but  we  must 


struggle  against  them,  striving  to  follow  in  the  steps  of 
Him  who,  thoilgh  He  "  went  about  doing  good,"  was 
"despised  and  rejected  of  men."  It  is  with  our  armor, 
worn  and  dinted  in  the  conflict,  that  we  must  present  our- 
selves before  the  Great  Captain  of  our  salvation.  The 
strusS-'le  is  ours  —  the  result  is  with  God. 

"  Great  duties  are  before  us,  and  great  works  ; 
And,  whether  crowned  or  crownless,  when  we  fall 
It  matters  not,  so  as  God's  will  is  done." 

Remember,  then,  that  you  are  "  citizens  of  no  mean 
city,"  and  must  walk  w'orthy  of  the  name  you  bear.  Freeing 
yourselves  from  all  temporary  and  selfish  ends,  let  the 
solemn  results  for  which  you  labor  cast  their  influence 
over  every  act  and  purpose.  Unless  you  do  this  you  will 
find  yourself  laboring  in  vain.  The  strength  to  wage  the 
warfare  will  be  paralyzed.  In  the  mighty  struggle  which 
is  going  on  you  will  "  fight  as  one  that  beateth  the  air."  '''' 
Unfitted  for  the  "  high  endeavor  "  to  which  you  are  called, 
your  influence  will  be  lost;  and  when  you  pass  away  it 
will  not  be  recorded  that  you  have  done  anything  which 
shall  be  written  in  deep  and  solemn  characters  upon  the 
souls  of  men. 

But  live  the  true  life  of  the  Christian  soldier,  as  they 
have  done  who  left  the  earth  fragrant  with  their  footsteps, 
and  how  noble  the  results  you  may  produce !  Everywhere 
your  field  will  be  around  you,  and  your  power  may  be  felt. 
Not  only  in  the  hushed  and  solemn  stillness  of  God's  tem- 
ple can  your  voice  be  heard,  but  it  can  penetrate  to  the 
quiet  circle  which  has  gathered  around  ten  thousand  hearths 
through  our  land,  and  be  listened  to  above  the  noise  of 
the  busy  and  toiling  crowd.  In  the  mart  of  traffic,  where 
the  merchant  bargains  —  on  the  restless  sea,  where  the 
weary  sailor  tosses  —  amid  the  turmoil  of  political  strife  — 
by  the  side  of  the  husbandman,  as  he  turns  up  the  furrow, 
and  of  the  artisan,  as  he  plies  his  toil — where  sorrow  weeps 

*  I  Cor.  ix.  26. 


19 

and  joy  raises  its  note  of  exultation  —  everywhere  that  the 
spirit  of  man  is  struggHng  with  temptation  and  sin,  and 
poor  Humanity  is  going  through  its  trial— everywhere  that 
the  solemn  mystery  of  this  life  is  passing — may  the  Chris- 
tian minister  find  his  sphere  of  labor  and  influence. 

With,  then,  my  brethren,  this  wide-spread  power,  how 
are  we  using  it?  The  pulpit  is  said  to  contain  within  itself 
THE  LIVING  POWER  OF  REPROOF.  Are  we  bringing  it  to  bear 
upon  the  crying  sins  of  the  age,  proclaiming  its  warnings 
as  fully  to  Dives  in  his  hall  as  we  would  to  Lazarus  at  his 
gate  ?  Avoiding  those  harmless  generalities  which  awaken 
no  fear  and  arouse  no  murmurs  of  conscience,  do  w^e  speak 
with  the  directness  which  brings  home  the  pointed  appli- 
cation, "Thou  art  the  man!"  While  the  covetous  and 
the  frivolous  are  treading  the  ways  of  death,  do  we  utter 
the  startling  rebukes  which  can  awaken  them  from  their 
dreams  ?  While  we  are  standing  among  the  dying,  and 
from  our  firesides  and  our  pews  they  are  gliding  into  eter- 
nity, do  they  hear  anything  from  us  to  warn  them  of  their 
coming  doom  ?  Does  the  commissioned  herald  of  the 
Cross  urge  them  to  awake  from  their  letharg)-  and  flee  to 
the  City  of  Refuge ;  or  does  he  seek  to  dazzle  the  mind 
when  he  should  improve  the  heart,  preaching  himself 
•  instead  of  his  Lord,  striving,  as  it  were,  "to  carve  his  pal- 
try name  upon  the  rugged  front  of  Christ's  own  cross  ?  " 
Does  he  wave  the  censer  between  the  living  and  the  dead, 
that  the  plague  may  be  stayed  ?  *  Does  he  carry  with  him, 
through  all  his  social  intercourse,  a  Christian  example, 
ever  inculcating  the  lesson  that  this  life  is  fast  vanishing 
away,  and  that  soon  the  judgment  will  be  set  and  the  books 
be  opened  and  all  assemble  to  have  their  accounts  bal- 
anced for  eternity  ? 

These,  my  brethren   of  the   clergy,  are   the   inquiries 
which  are  naturally  suggested  to  us  by  the  subjects  I  have 

*  Num.  xvi.  48. 

293307 


20 

endeavored  to  bring  before  you.  How  fearful,  then,  the 
record  which  is  going  on  against  us,  as  we  lead  and  follow 
our  people  to  the  grave !  We  are  "  set  for  the  fall  and 
rising  again  of  many  in  Israel."  If  we  are  faithless,  our  gar- 
ments will  be  dripping  with  the  blood  of  the  ruined  and 
the  lost.  And  soon  for  us  all  visible  things  will  have  passed 
away,  and  we  stand  up  to  have  every  action  brought  into 
review  —  the  motive  of  every  sermon  analyzed  —  and  the 
feelings  examined  with  which  "  our  eyes  have  seen  and 
our  hands  have  handled  the  word  of  life."  Realizing,  then, 
our  own  entire  weakness,  let  us  cast  ourselves  upon  Him 
who  alone  can  give  strength ;  and  while  we  record  our  ween- 
ing penitence  for  the  past,  let  us  seek  grace  to  labor  as  those  >^ 
who  feel  that  a  world  around  us  is  sinking  into  ruin,  while 
above  us  are  the  opening  heavens,  to  whose  "tearless 
state "  we  must  invite  those  for  whom  Christ  died  and 
eternity  is  waiting. 


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